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There are a lot of factors that go into increasing strength and power, and there are many different causes for a discrepancy in strength among individuals. This article, however, will be focusing primarily on the effect of neural adaptation.

It is very common for beginning lifters to substantially increase strength within the first 5-6 weeks of training. The reason for this drastic increase in strength is largely in part a result of neuromuscular adaptation. You will most likely notice that the beginning lifter will not achieve huge increases in muscle size, but yet still be stronger. How is this possible? How can someone gain strength without size?

Gaining strength without size

To better explain how to gain strength without size, I am going to give a little background on the physiological mechanisms of the body.

Each muscle consists of multiple motor units. The amount of motor units per muscle varies from muscle to muscle and person to person. Each motor unit consists of a neuron, also known as a motor nerve cell, and a bundle of muscle fibers.

All the muscle fibers in each motor unit are identical and recruited based on the all-or-none principle. When a motor unit is activated, all the muscle fibers are recruited at the same time. As an individual starts to work out and get stronger, the amount of motor units recruited increases.

In simpler terms, neural adaptation is essentially harnessing potential already within us. I am going to use random numbers here just to paint the picture. Let us say that our quadriceps have 100 motor units. However, at the present time we are only able to recruit 10 of them when we exercise. That does not mean that the other 90 motor units do not exist. As we continue to train, our nervous system will adapt and we will be able to recruit more of our motor units that are already present, and thus, we will increase our strength without increasing our size.

So you have made the decision to go vegan but are a little bit skeptical as to where you are going to get your protein from. You have probably heard lots of people talk about how vegans are always lacking in protein and that a vegan diet will cause you to look frail and malnourished. This could not be farther from the truth. Yes, some vegans are malnourished and look frail, as they are lacking many nutrients, but this is not true of those who are knowledgeable and have a well-balanced diet. In this post, I will list the top 12 best vegan protein sources that vegans can eat that are high in protein. Although plant protein powders such as hemp, pea, or rice protein provide good sources of protein, in this article I will be discussing real foods that are found in nature. If you would prefer to supplement with vegan protein powders, feel free to do so.

How much protein do you need?

It is recommended to consume between 10-35% of your diet from protein. With that being said, if you consuming 2500 calories per day, you would need, at the minimum, 250 of those to come from protein. Since there are 4 calories per gram of protein, that would equate to about 62 grams of protein daily (250/4). And at the maximum, you would need 875 calories from protein, which would equate to about 220 grams of protein (875/4).

So if your diet consisted of 2500 calories daily, you would need to consume between 62-220 grams of protein daily. So figure out how many calories you need to consume daily and then calculate your protein requirements. It is also important to keep in mind that those who are athletes, bodybuilders, and/or very physically active, consuming towards the higher end of 35% is recommended. Those who are more sedentary and less active should consume more towards the 10% range. If you have any questions about your protein requirements feel free to ask!

Below are the top 12 best sources of protein for vegans

Do you try to control everything in your life? Do you make yourself go crazy by trying to control things that you know are out of your control? If this fits you or someone in your life, then this health tip is for you. One of the scariest things in life is learning how to be vulnerable. When we open up to someone and allow ourselves to be vulnerable as we let all of our barriers dissipate, we allow ourselves to experience some of the greatest pleasures and joys that life can offer, while at the same time allowing ourselves to possibly experience a world of pain and hurt. The possibility of that extreme pain is why so many of us have all these protective mechanisms that we shine at the world. Everyday when we wake up we take on this persona that we project on the rest of the world. We all know that how we portray ourselves to each other in the public realm is very rarely anything close to how we really are or how we truly feel. We all desire acceptance and because of this desire, we do whatever it takes to be accepted. If you let down your need for control, you will be able to experience the power of vulnerability in relationships.

However, when we constantly put up our barriers and consistently stop people from getting too close to us, we are, in essence, denying ourselves of some of the greatest pleasures and joys that life has to offer. When I say that, I do not mean to allow yourself to be vulnerable around everyone you see, but to allow yourself to be vulnerable in the presence of those that love and care about you. [click to continue…]

Natural flavors appear to be everywhere on ingredient labels, but what exactly are they? The FDA defines natural flavors as “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

According to this definition, you could literally be consuming almost anything. The FDA does not require companies to disclose of their ingredients as it is considered to be their “secret” formulas. This hides the fact that the natural flavor compounds may consist of more ingredients than the actual foods themselves. So in essence, if you are a vegetarian and you are consuming a food with natural flavors, you could be consuming “flavors” from a pig, cow, fish, or chicken.

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